1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails."

1968-2018

More than 46 years, 1972-2018, of marriage and still very passionately in love.

Married July 1, 1972

Romantic interest since their first date in August, 1968 @ the age of 15 years-old, more than 50 Years!

Passive Echoes

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Music and Lyrics

All music and lyrics in the music player widget above was composed, written, and performed by Larry Brian Binns. The vocal tracks were performed by Marcia Epps Binns and Greg Wilson. All Rights Reserved. Copyright by Passive Echoes and Larry B. Binns 1990.

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The Bliss of Matrimony - July 1, 1972

"As I walked down the aisle escorted by my father, my nervousness was quite apparent. I remember thinking, 'Will I be a good wife?' I loved Larry so very much and wanted more than anything to please him. Well, after 45 years of a successful and very loving marriage I have no doubt that I have been and Larry constantly reassures me of this. Wow, I felt like this was a dream come true!" -Marcia Epps Binns

Departing from Marcia to return to work after taking pleasure in a week of ecstatic bliss was nearly intolerable for the both of them. Larry had to gently remove her arms from around his neck as she was clinging and pleading with him to stay. He would turn to leave but hesitated and returned to her several times for a final kiss and caress.

He nearly yielded to her appeals if it were not for the need of income to sustain them. Less than a year earlier before they were reunited, he had jokingly told her that they could live off of love. He was compelled to attempt it that afternoon as he prepared to leave his exceptionally beautiful wife and temptress. They both said goodbye with eyes full of tears.

The echo of her voice telling Larry that she loved him was drumming in his ears as he hurried down the four flights of stairs to head off to work in the shipyard. They resided only a block or two from the entrance gate. Marcia could watch her “husband” going to work from their living room window for several moments until he disappeared behind the steep walls of their apartment complex.

Remarkably, just a year earlier they were three hundred miles away from each other, exasperated, wounded, not communicating, and had no viable relationship or future together. Now here they were in less than twelve months after a simple phone call, crazy in love, wedded, and inseparably cuddling together nightly in the same divan. Ah, the power of love and the value of swallowing one’s pride.

(Click Photo to Enlarge)

Throughout the hours apart from her there was never a moment that she was not on his mind. Larry found delight in every menial or repetitious chore assigned to him wherein absolute concentration was not required.

Such mundane tasks permitted him to mentally revisit the days and nights that they spent expressing their love. Marcia’s engaging presence invaded his thoughts; her exquisite scent, the well-tanned tone and silky texture of her skin, her breathing and soft sighs, and her sensuous voice were prominent in his musings.

The intensity and constancy of the evincing of these sensations of love were now more prevailing and intoxicating due to the unfettered freeness and seclusion of matrimony. The solitariness of the nights and the dawning of each day presented Larry with the occasion to survey Marcia’s loveliness as she slept.

With wonderment and a yearning appreciation he painted on a cerebral canvass the minutiae of every curvature and mark of her beauty from head to toe. From this he created a visual snapshot of her loveliness that could be retrieved at will.

Larry’s job allowed him access to telephones and he would call her every three or four hours to see how her day was faring. Marcia would busy herself with household chores and preparing delicacies for his ravenous appetite when he returned home. In less than two months Larry gained thirty-three pounds, from 143 to 176! This was his ideal weight for his six foot frame.

There were always small tokens of Marcia’s affections that would be discovered by Larry, in his wallet, pants pockets, or among other belongings that he took to work. Short expressive love notes everywhere, a practice that was initiated the week following her confession of love to him on September, 17, 1971. Nearly four decades later this practice continues, except now it is text messages and emails. Very recently Larry received the following text message from Marcia.

"I feel so safe and secure when I am lying next to you. Words cannot adequately describe the peace and serenity that I feel as I cuddle up to your warm body. Thank you for allowing me to have these experiences. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you throughout the day… I love you deeply."

Larry loves to watch her sleep, even after all of these years. He describes how she folds her hands together as children are often taught when they say their prayers, and lays her head on her hands and tucks her feet securely under his legs. She especially loves to hear his deep soft voice tell her stories about past adventures, his feelings about her when they first met and now, or just accounts of the day’s activities.

Like a loving father reciting a bedtime story she listens with the sleepy eyes of a child. He often strokes the side of her head facing him. Moments later she drifts off to a peaceful sleep and he kisses her forehead and whispers goodnight.

Larry’s returning home from work was a major event for Marcia. It was her desire that Larry truly felt that his home was his castle. She would read books about how to satisfy all the needs and desires of her man and strive to apply what she felt were appropriate.

From the moment that the shipyard’s whistle would blow, which could be heard citywide, to the moment that he would come through the gates, Larry would run full speed in order to be home and up the four flights of stairs before the whistle ceased, and was usually successful.

Marcia eagerly anticipated his return and would be made up as if she was going out on a date. She looked beautiful, as the day that he first saw her at A&T and at UNCSA in ’68, or how fairy tale princess-like she appeared when she visited him at his high school in ’70, or the exceedingly stunning woman he waited two hours for in the Commons in ’71, or the heart throb who answered the door when he called on her for their first date after they were reunited later that same evening.

She looked as exquisite and pleasing to the eye each evening as she did in ’72 when she was escorted down the aisle by her father and he unveiled her splendor to seal their bond with the kiss of matrimony. As the door opened, Marcia would leap into Larry’s arms kissing every inch of his face.

He felt like a king. She would assist him in preparing for dinner, although it was eleven o’clock at night. An absolutely splendid meal that was meticulously prepared would always await him. Everything would be in order and arranged as if he was dining in a very expensive restaurant, many times with candles.